Drop side construction having slide rods



July 13, 1965 H. J. LANDRY 3,193,850

DROP SIDE CONSTRUCTION HAVING SLIDE RODS Filed DSG. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l J! @L WJ M4 y M J j- I 5i! IL I if Z--L y ff/ /JZ JZ ffl i@ H J j, @J6 f' (L76 if J5 July 13, 1965 H. J. LANDRY 3,193,850

DROP SIDE CONSTRUCTION HAVING SLIDE RODS Filed Dec. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,193,850 DROP SIDE CONSTRUCTION HAVING SLIDE RODS Henry J. Landry, Lake Road, Ashburnham, Mass. Filed Dec. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 331,726 Claims. (Cl. 5-100) This invention relates to new and improved drop side constructions such as are used in cribs, although not limited thereto, and the principal object of the invention resides in the improvement of the drop side mechanism. The invention includes the provision of a two-part drop side, one above the other, the lower part extending from end-to-end of the crib, being fixed at its ends to the usual corner posts and having a top and bottom rail and interconnecting spindles, the spindles being hollow and preferably made of an extruded plastic or the like; and the other or upper part of the drop side having a top rail only and secured thereto depending spindles which are telescopically receivable in the hollow spindles in the lower, iixed part of the drop side, to the end that the movable upper part of the drop side may be raised into desired protective position but may be lowered at any time so as to give access to the crib either for the mother or for the occupant. The crib can be used as youth bed as well as a crib.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a new and improved slide rod mechanism and a new improved catch therefor selectively holding the movable, upper portion of the crib drop side in its raised position; and the provision of new and improved means for securing the lower xed part ofthe crib side to the corner posts of the crib, bed, etc.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. l is a view in front elevation with parts broken away illustrating the invention with the crib side in its down position;

FIG. 2 is a similar enlarged view of one end of the crib showing the drop side in raised position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating the drop side latch mechanism, parts being in section;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the drop side unlatched so that it can descend;

FIG. `5 is an enlarged view of a modication in the mounting bracket for the iixed lower portion of the drop side, and

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a connection for the spindles to the rails.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a crib or youth bed, but the structure can be used anywhere it is desirable. Only so much of the crib is shown asis necessary to describe the invention but of course it is to be understood that it includes a supporting frame including four corner v posts, crib ends connecting the corner posts at the foot and the head of the crib, and at the opposite side of the crib (not shown) the drop side may be duplicated or a fixed side may be provided, all as is well known in the art.

In the present construction, to each corner post 10 there is secured in xed relation thereto a bracket 12 as by means of fasteners 14, this bracket being in the nature of a strap and being provided at one side with various hooks 16 upon which the spring which supports the crib mattress may be mounted in a vertically adjustable manner. The straps 12 have inturned ends 18 and 20. The inturned end 18 iixedly supports the bottom rail 22 of the lower part A of the crib side and the inturned end 20 in like manner supports the top rail 24. The bottom and top rails are also provided with a series of spaced hol- Ff' 3,193,855@ ce Patented July 13, 1965 low spindles 26. These spindles are permanently secured with relation to the rails by any desired means such as self-locking bushings. The lower ends of the hollow spindles 26 are closed as is indicated at 28 by the material of the bottom rail 22 but the upper ends thereof as indicated at 30 are open through holes in the top rail 24 so that the interior portions of the hollow spindles 26 are exposed in an upward direction. It will be appreciated that by permanently fixing the top rails 22 and 24 together with the spindles 26 to the corner posts 10, an extremely rigid crib construction is provided and this itself is an important step forward in the art.

The top or movable part B -of the crib side comprises a top -rail 32 which extends .substantially from end-to-end of the crib but is a little shorter than rail 24 as is indicated at 34. To the top rail 32 there are secured a series of depending spindles 36. These are permanently secured by any desired means such as fasteners or bushings with respect to the top rail 32 and they telescope within the lower spindles 26 as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 2. Spinzdles 36 may themselves be hollow and tubular if desired or they may be solid. In any event it will be :seen that :the top part B of the crib side has a lowermost position with top rail 32. merely resting on the top rail 24 of the lower part A, but in its upper position the crib side is substantially doubled in height. Latch means to be described is used for holding part B in the FIG. 2 position.

This construction not only rigidifies the crib and is an extremely easy device to operate, avoiding the use of much of the hardware ordinarily encountered such as the knee latches, etc., but also the height of the drop side is easily extended because the height of the spindles 26 can be made say for instance one-half of the length of the corner posts, i.e., they can extend as Ifar as the lioor. This gives a capacity for the top part B of the crib side to cover the remainder of the side of the crib if it should be desired .to do so. Also with the drop side down as in FIG. 1 and the top of the mattress being arranged to be a few inches below this level, an easily entered youth bed isprovided which however has suiiicient protection along the sides thereof to prevent the child from falling out during sleep, and all that is necessary to be done is merely to have the drop side in its down position. In order to better illustrate this, the level of the mattress is indicated in broken lines a't- 38, that is, the top level of the mattress is :shown at approximately the desired location by the broken lines at 38.

Each slide rod 40 is rotatably mounted in a recess or the like 42 opening upwardly in the upper edge of top rail 24. Each slide rod is merely a straight piece of round rod which is'rotatable in its recess or socket 42 and is provided with a bracket of any convenient description generally indicated at 44 mounted on the corner post 10 -by any desired means such as a fastener 46. The upper end of the slide rod is rotatably mounted in a vertical thimble or barrel 48 which may be a part of the fixture 44. This thimble or barrel is provided with a horizontal slot 50 which extends part way only about the same, and through this slot there extends a finger operator 52 which is secured to the slide rod 4t) generally radially thereof so that the operator can grasp the knob at 52 and oscillate slide rod 40 through a distance for instance slightly more than between the position shown in FIG. 3 and the position shown in FIG. 4.

Each slide rod is provided with a notch indicated at 54 and in FIG. 3 this notch is shown extending to the right where it is engaged by a pin 56 pressed outwardly by a spring 58 in a permanent type bushing or the like 6i) mounted in a recess in the upper rail 32. In this condition as shown in FIG. 3 the movable part of the drop side is held in its uppermost position as shown in FIG. 2.

. lHowever if ther operator wishes to position (FIG. 3) by means of a spring or the like.

drop the crib side, all that is necessary to do is to grasp the ngerpiece 52 and turnit from the FIG. 3 position to the'FIG. 4 posi-V -tion so that the notch 54 is carried away from the posi- ,tion of the pin 56; The bottom `of the slotfcams" the pinY .against the action of spring 58 to'the position shown in FIG. 4, Vand therefore the dropside can drop. with theY exposed end of pin 56 contactingathe same. Y,

The slide rods 40 are maintained normally in .latchin spring is indicated at 62 and yis shown as a coil spring having an end fastened to the ,top' of the rod 4t) and an- Vother fend fixed in Vany desired position withinthe fixture .44 so that Vthe rod will always turn back-to the FIG. 3

position. Therefore when the drop side is-brought'onc'e.

This

vjrods, Va spring-pressed pin on the movable side part,

said

pin engaging the rod Vunder pressure ofV thespring, the

more to itsuppermost latching position, the pin 56 will.y

Vmerely. snap into recess V54 which is automatically in ,position to receive it.

As shown in FIG. 5 the bracket 12 maybe provided with the usual bed latch hooks indicated at 64. There are usually'two of these and they hook over pinsy 66' Vmounted across slots 68 in the corner posts 70 in the usual manner of attaching the sides ofbeds to the head and Thus the crib can be Vtaken apart4 easily the foot boards.

Vif this should be desired. The lower portion of the Vcrib side however will rigidity the crib in thus condition valso y since it is xed to thecorner posts although removable.'

In FIG. 6 there is shown a construction for permanently securingthe spindles in place vin the rail 32 and thisis used also in the rails 22 and 24. Reverse facing spurs 64` are applied to the spindle ends either 'directly or on collars. The holes in which the spindle ends are forcedV are smaller iu diameter thanfthefspurs and thusonce forced( inthey cannot be removed.

' Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited tothe details herein disclosed, otherwiseV than as set forth in the claims, but what Ipclaim is:

rod having a notch therein for selectively receiving the pin when alignedtherewith, and means for moving the pin out of the notch to' release the movable side part.

2. The'd'ropsideV recited in claim 1 whereinj said lastnamed means includes the bottom 0f the notch, therslide rod being osrcillatable to move the fnotch relatively out Aof'eng'agement with said pin byY forcing the pin back out ofthe notch as the rod is turned; y

i 3. A latch construction for adrOp-side wherein the drop s'ide comprisesa vmovable member located between a pair. of elongated supporting members and there being slide rods on the elongated supporting members, the drop side being engaged therewith, latchmeans including a movable pin and a spring urging the pin toward the [slide rod arranged ito slideon and engage with 'the slide rod, a Vnotch in the slide rod, said pin entering said notch A under influence of yits spring when aligned therewith,

andV means'mounting ,the slide rod oscillatably about its longitudinal axis so that the notchis movable out of engagement with said pinto release the latch and allow Y .tually spaced spindles thereon, theY spindles on the top 1f A drop side for an article of furniture 'including aV supporting frame having Va pair of yspaced parallel elon-` gated members, said drop Vside comprising Va xed drop side part, means securing said part'in fixed relationship with respect to said'elongated frame members, saicijfixedY side part being arranged transversely with respect tothe elongated frame members vand in an area with respect thereto Vmore adjacent one end than the other end, and a .y

relatively movable drop side part located betweenV the fxed part and said other end of the frame members, the movable part being movable froman overlapping rela-'fV tionship with respect to the xed side. part wherein the 'two parts take up approximatelytheV area of the fixed '.rail of the movable side part` beingtelescopingly received in the hollowvspindles on the. iixed side part whereby the vmovable side part is movable to ,a position where/the ytopV rails are substantially contiguous or selectively to a position where said top railsare substantially separated,

40'-means permanentlyv securing the spindles'to the correspondingV rails, said means including spurs on the ends of the spindles and recesses in the rails of less diameter Vi than thespurs, said Yrecesses receiving the spurs which dig into the walls of the; recesses.

Y References Cited bythe Examiner K Y r Y f UNITED ASTATES PATENTS i Y f 2,298,858 10V/42 Creager v 2s7-53 2,402,286 6/46 Jeary 5-100 V2,641,775 6/53 Bukolt- 5-100 Y k2,804,631 9/57 Levin 5-100 "1o/i60 Rurka 5-100 part, to an extended condition Ybetween the elongated a supporting members extending the areaV covered by the drop side, means at the Vends of the movable'part sliding- Y1y interengaged with Vsaid elongated supporting` mem" bers, said interengaging means comprising slide rods 'mounted onV the elongated support members in paral-V Vlel relationship with respect thereto, and means adjacent the ends lof the movable parts mounted to `slideron said FQREIGNPATENTS 125,649 11/31 Austria. V133,161 10/19 Great Britain.` FRANK B. sH'ERRY, 'Primary Examiner. CHAN'CELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. A DROP SIDE FOR AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE INCLUDING A SUPPORTING FRAME HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL ELONGATED MEMBERS, SAID DROP SIDE COMPRISING A FIXED DROP SIDE PART, MEANS SECURING SAID PART IN FIXED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID ELONGATED FRAME MEMBERS, SAID FIXED SIDE PART BEING ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO THE ELONGATED FRAME MEMBERS AND IN AN AREA WITH RESPECT THERETO MORE ADJACENT ONE END THAN THE OTHER END, AND A RELATIVELY MOVABLE DROP SIDE PART LOCATED BETWEEN THE FIXED PART AND SAID OTHER END OF THE FRAME MEMBERS, THE MOVABLE PART BEING MOVABLE FROM AN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO THE FIXED SIDE PART WHEREIN THE TWO PARTS TAKE UP APPROXIMATELY THE AREA OF THE FIXED PART, TO AN EXTENDED CONDITION BETWEEN THE ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEMBERS EXTENDING THE AREA COVERED BY THE DROP SIDE, MEANS AT THE ENDS OF THE MOVABLE PART SLIDINGLY INTERENGAGED WITH SAID ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEMBERS, SAID INTERENGAGING MEANS COMPRISING SLIDE RODS MOUNTED ON THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND MEANS ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE MOVABLE PARTS MOUNTED TO SLIDE ON SAID RODS, A SPRING-PRESSED PIN ON THE MOVABLE SIDE PART, SAID PIN ENGAGING THE ROD UNDER PRESSURE OF THE SPRING, THE ROD HAVING A NOTCH THEREIN FOR SELECTIVELY RECEIVING THE PIN WHEN ALIGNED THEREWITH, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE PIN OUT OF THE NOTCH TO RELEASE THE MOVABLE SIDE PART. 